


Don't mess with Time

by Scentsationalhands



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Heartbreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-03
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 17:20:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5342183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scentsationalhands/pseuds/Scentsationalhands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After watching the crossovers I had this spinning in my head and I just couldn't get to sleep so I wrote it down instead.</p><p>This will be 2 or 3 parts</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The grave specs

**Author's Note:**

> This is told in Oliver's POV but atill written in 3rd person. No beta- sorry for any mistakes.

Oliver stood at the grave. He was numb. He sat there thinking and berating himself. Feeling heartbroken, ashamed, and lost.

He didn't know what to say or how to say it. He lost everything- he lost her. He should have told her in Central City when he found out, but he was a coward. He really did want to tell her- if only Barry had overheard more of the fight, had shared why Felicity left.

But that didn't happen. Instead he used "Mayoral" excuses of responsibilities out of town to help with relations between Star City and Cental City (conveiniently planned when Felicity was needed at work) to sneak up to see William.

He never thought she would find out. There was no paper trail. Barry never ran the DNA test because of the time warp, Samantha never cashed his mother's check. She actually destroyed it after showing it to him- she realised she was only keeping it to justify her secrets, which were no longer secret from him. But he should have known. 

Ironically he has been wondering for days now if he should have listened to Barry's advice more or less? More becuse he should have taken him seriously when he said that changing the past means worse things will happen. At that point he didn't know something could be worse than everyone dying- but this definately was. At least through the first confrontation with Vandal Savage he had died too. He never would have had to know what it was like to live without Felicity. To know what it was like to bury your future. It also could have been better had he not kept William a secret. But not even Barry knew that...

Not listening to Barry at all would have saved him a world of hurt. He never would have agreed to lying to Felicity. He never would have brought the chaos of his life, this emotional rollercoaster, to an innocent young boy. Ha! He never would have been told by his own son the the Flash is WAY better than the Arrow and the Flash would win in a fight. He couldn't even defend himself, or the arrow really, without giving up his identity or making the kid upset. That's all besides the point though. The point is that maybe everyone would have been better off if he never pursued William.

Why couldn't Barry have just lied and told him that the DNA wasn't a match and the fight was about hiding the "what if" from Felicity. 

God, he never deserved her. She was always so full of life and he always sucked the life out of the room. He was always afraid the mission would dim her light, but it wasn't the mission, it was the lies! She knew there was something bothering him when we left town and somehow she let it go, probably thought he was freaking out about the proposal. 

But then this had to happen. She's gone. He was so excited about finding those rediculous action figures that he wasn't paying attention. I bought the Arrow, Canary and Speedy figurines and rushed off to the train station without a second thought. He never noticed Darhk's ghosts following. That had been an unplanned trip 2 weeks before. The day in question he was just geeting back from Nanda Parbat. Malcolm had info on Darhk, Thea was struggling with the blood lust, and Sara was going to see Nyssa for the first time since regaining her soul. It was a trip he thought he had to take, and it was only for a few days, but when he got back she was gone. Her clothes, her tech, even her scent seemed to be washed from the loft. All that was left was a heartbreaking pile of items on the table. 

The first thing he saw was the ring, her ring, that was never supposed to leave her finger. Then there was her keys. A note explaining that she cant be with someone who doesnt trust her, who she cant trust, and that she would be in Australia on business. She took Curtis with her to protect her from the Kangaroos. She would find a new place while she was gone.

There was so much confusion and pain, and then he saw it. The flash drive. He plugged it in and watched as his world was blown apart. It was a video, made to be anti "Queen for Mayor". Another little tool of Damien Darhk, not wanting to have his fight in the daylight. It was Samantha's house. As he was leaving the first day and when he went back in the morning to take William to school before heading to the train station. It looked like a love affair and a secret child, a secret life. Thwre were even splices of surveiance that included the proposal to Felcity and other PDA moments to make the propaganda that much worse. He knew then that he had lost her. He didn't know it could get worse.


	2. What was lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is still thinking and we get more insight into what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fills in some blanks from the season with multiple characters and follows Oliver's heartbreak over what happened. He is still standing at the grave, thinking, though it is not specifically mentioned.
> 
> More notes at end

The week after Felicity left had been hell. Thea was still in Nanda Parbat and the ghosts were attacking every night. Without Speedy and Mr Fantastic fighting alongside him, Dig and Canary the ghosts were gaining ground and they knew it- so they surged harder.

Without Felicity nothing seemed to work. Darhk never released his video, but he didn't need to. Without Felicity to reign him in Oliver was floundering in his campain. He wasn't sleeping, wasn't covering the bruises well enough, and wasn't showing up to meetings.

Digg was still dealing with Andy and the drugs that had been in his system. Caitlyn had been able to reverse the effects of the yellow pills, but Andy couldn't remember the last 8 years. He had no idea why he joined Darhk, if the file had been true, or what he had done for Darhk. So anytime not spent fighting the ghosts was spent with his family and Oliver didn't want to pull him into the drama of his secret son or that his fiance left him.

Digg asked about Felicity being gone when he had first gotten back- but all Oliver could say is that it was a last minute trip she couldnt get out of. He tried to joke that she wouldnt be gone long, there was no way she would stay near a kangaroo any longer than absolutley necessary. But it fell flat, sounded sad to even his own ears. Digg didn't say anything though. Just gave him a knowing look and a pat on the shoulder as he said goodnight- said the worst part of finding the love of your life and finally manning up and proposing was having to spend a night apart. He had done it with Lyla a lot. 

So Digg wasn't an ear to bend with this. Thea was gone and not reachable by phone. Samantha would probably revoke his privlages with William (and just be a royally stupid person to talk to about this.) Speaking of royally stupid person to confide in about this: Laurel. Her father was dating his fiancee's mother and he was suppose to have been in an exclusive relationship with her when Samantha had gotten pregnant... That would be a terrible idea.

That meant the only person he could talk to was Barry, who was extremely busy trying to stay alive as reports of Zoom sightings and more agressive meta humans made the news everyday. Plus, he was sure there would be an "I told you so" somewhere in the conversation and he couldn't get away with shooting Barry with an arrow again.

Then there was Felicity, beautiful, wonderful, too good for him Felicity. Who wasn't answering her calls. Being the tech Genius that she is she managed to forward all his calls to Jerry, on both her number and Curtis' cell too. All text messages came back as undeliverable. Even when he had stolen Digg's phone and tried to get answers that way.

Then came the press release from the Palmer Tech board that the company had turned around under the leadership of the new CEO and the newest tech launches would bring massive growth to the company. Oliver was happy until he got to the end of the article. Because of the huge success there would be several world wide mergers. Starting in Australia (which is crazy because he never actually thought she went to Australia of all places!) and then Japan and the UK. The CEO would be traveling to secure these mergers over the next few months.

Oliver was heartbroken. A few months?? He couldn't breath, couldn't see straight. Couldn't feel the cut he had gotten from holding the arrow too tight or the blood dripping down his hand. He hadnt even noticed the team coming out of the elevator or the way they were staring at him as he sat at Facility's computer. 

When Digg finally got his attention trying to find out what was wrong the screens switched to breaking news and there was a collective gasp

"Star City 'ghosts' attack again" was scrolling on the screen, the background of the shot showing so much damage no one knew how to respond. Oliver had no idea things could still get worse...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up shortly and is the final chapter. We find out exactly how Oliver ends up standing at the grave alone...


	3. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out how Oliver wound up at the grave alone while he says goodbye.

After Barry left him at cemetary, he finally had something to say.

"I'm sorry. I was so irresponsible back then. So irresponsible now. I guess I never really changed and you paid the price. Both of you."

He let out another tear and stood looking at the grave that held so much. His chance to right his wrongs, to be a good man, to have a future full of happiness and family. 

He pulled Felicity's ring from his pocket and just stared at it for what could have been 5 minutes or 5 hours, he didn't really know. Then he heard her voice and stifened for a moment, understanding, finally, what must have been going through Slade's twisted mind after Shado died. Then he heard it again, just his name, falling off her tongue in sadness. 

He closed his eyes and cried. Thankful he was having some sort of psychotic break if it meant hearing her voice. Then he felt her hand in his, her soft skin such a contrast to his own, rough and calloused.

He didn't dare open his eyes, enjoying his fantasy far too much. But then a breeze came through just right and her hair brushed up against his shoulder, the scent of her perfume wafting into his nostrils. His eyes bulged open immediately.

"Felicity!? Are you really here?"

"Where else would I be. I love you. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I just got back into town and Digg didnt know where you were. I saw on the news that the ghosts had attacked in Central City and I came back to help. When I couldn't find you, and your phone was in the lair, I called Barry to see if maybe you had gone up to help. He told me he was here in our city and the next thing I knew he was standing in front of me, in a funeral suit with such sadness in his eyes.

He told me the attack in central wasn't random. That the bomb went off at the school to gain the media attention but that the targets had been the woman whose car the bomb was placed on, and her son. Your son. He told me about Vandal Savage, the time jump, our breakup, our deaths...Then he brought me here. I'm so sorry Oliver.  That I never gave you a chance to explain, that I cut off communication, that I wasn't here for you, that-"

She was cut off by a searing kiss. One that represented Oliver's past present and future all at once. When they broke apart for air he buried his face in her neck and sobbed. She could barely understand him as he whispered "never leave me again. I can't live without you."

She held him until it got dark and then they made their way back to the loft, hand in hand. It wouldn't be easy, but they could get through anything together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see the twist coming?


End file.
